Overview
- The FSB says suspects planned to target an unnamed senior official at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye Cemetery using a vase fitted with a camera and intended explosives.
- Three people were detained in Moscow, including a husband-and-wife pair described as previously convicted and drug-dependent and an illegal migrant from Central Asia, while a Kyiv resident named by the FSB is wanted.
- FSB-released videos show detainees alleging they were remotely directed by a handler called “Ruslan,” who they say promised drugs for carrying out the task.
- The agency says seized devices contained WhatsApp and Signal messages with a Ukrainian special services officer, but news organizations report they cannot independently verify the evidence.
- The announcement comes as Russia and Ukraine report fresh cross-border strikes, and analysts note a rise in targeted killings linked to the war since 2022.